+ In the Love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let’s take a look at this morning’s Gospel (Matthew 23:1-12):
“Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.’”
In addition to the Ten Commandments, the Pharisees counted 613 other commandments in the Law of Moses. Some of these 613 commandments originally applied only to the Jewish priests, but the Pharisees contended that every Jew should keep every one of the 613 commandment. The Pharisees described these 613 commandments as “the yoke of the Law.”
What is a yoke?
{{Congregational Response}}
[an upside-down U-shaped piece that’s laid on the shoulders of an ox so it can pull a cart]
So when Jesus says that the Pharisees “lay [these commandments] on the shoulders of others,” he is referring to “the yoke of the Law.”
In an earlier passage in Matthew’s Gospel (11:28-30), Jesus said this: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
This stole I’m wearing looks like a yoke and symbolizes Jesus’ “easy yoke” and the light burden of his two commandments to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself,” instead of the hard yoke and the heavy burden of the Pharisees’ 613 commandments.
So this morning Jesus is inviting each of us to be burden-lifters, burden-lifters in our church ministries, burden-lifters where we work, burden-lifters in school, burden-lifters at home, and burden-lifters in our communities. St. Paul puts it this way in his letter to the Galatian (6:2): “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Jesus continues: “They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.”
Does anyone know what a phylactery is?
{{Congregational Response}} [small black leather boxes, worn on the forehead and arm; they contain Torah verses inside, including the Shema Yisrael: “Hear O Israel, the Lord is One, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.]
― wearing a phylactery is one of the 613 commandments.
Does anyone know what the “fringes” refer to?
{{Congregational Response}} [attached to the four corners of the tallit or Jewish prayer shawl]
― again this is one of the 613 commandments. The fringes are a visual reminder to keep all the commandments― and that’s why this stole has fringes, too!
Again, this passage reminds us of an earlier passage in Matthew’s Gospel, a passage we read every Lent: “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them. . . . And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others” (6:1,5).
So this morning, Jesus is inviting each of us to think about what motivates us. Is it to be seen by others? to be honored for our contributions? to be greeted with respect? Or are we motivated by the desire and intention to be burden-lifters, and to bear one another’s burdens wherever we may be, in church, at work, at school, at home, or in the community?
Jesus continues: “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher [Jesus], and you are all students.”
“Students” is not the literal translation; the translators wanted to use a word to go with “teacher.” The literal translation is “brothers and sisters,” which naturally leads into the next verse:
“And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven.” This passage is one of the reasons I prefer to be called “Bill” rather than “Father Roberts!” More to the point, because we all have one Father we are all brothers and sisters with equal status.
“Nor are you to be called instructors [the Greek word is “catechist” so leaders of our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program take note!] for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant.”
Jesus knows that having titles can seduce us into becoming burden-makers rather than burden-lifters; servants, on the other hand, are almost by definition burden-lifters.
Once again, this passage reminds us of an earlier passage in Matthew’s Gospel (20:25-28) when Jesus says to his disciples: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
So in this morning’s Gospel, Jesus is inviting us to be servants and burden lifters.
May God give us the grace and power to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ.
Amen.
